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News About This Theater

The Americana Theatre was built by Trans-Texas Theatres and opened in 1965 seating 1,000. In the early 1970’s it was taken over by AMC theatres. The theatre featured a huge 70mm screeen.

The story that goes is that the downfall of the theatre was an agreement made between AMC and Disney to give the Americana an exclusive showing on “Annie”. Disney made the agreement but stipulated it was for 18 weeks. AMC wasn’t able to get out of the contract and dug itself deep into the red and was not able to recover financially on the theatre.

In 1999, the Americana was converted into the Yarborough branch of the Austin Public Library.

Trans Lux Inflight were originally built for franchizing and put in Phillips Norelco 16mm projectors. First Theatre opened in May 1966 in Bartow, Florida. All auditorium were 350 seats Most were Blue American Body Form chair. Twin Theatres one blue one Gold.

I just wanted to add that one reason this theatre could have never been reopened again is because the bathrooms were upstairs and the only way up there was via a narrow staircase. if anyone wanted to reopen it before the city of austin opened it they would have to had to comply with the disabilties act and built an add on to the building cause there was no room down stairs for new bathrooms and parking was a slight issue with some spaces around the building but the rest of parking was located accross hancock street and with traffic nowadays it would be dangerous really at night for customers to cross the street and i preety sure the city of austin would have insisted on the theater hiring off duty apd officers to control traffic inorder to ensure customers were not hit and nowadays off duty officers want at least $60 an hour for usallythree to four hours of work.

The Americana Theatre was built by Trans-Texas Theatres, Incorporated, Earl Podolnick, President. The Americana did not exist in 1962. It opened with a by-invitation-only screening of the 1965 film “The Rounders”, starring Glenn Ford and Henry Fonda. The grand opening feature was “The Legend of Cat Ballou”, 1965, starring Lee Marvin and Jane Fonda. The Americana’s first manager was Joe Dyer.

The Americana is featured as a backdrop in one scene of the Richard Linklater film, DAZED AND CONFUSED. The lower part of the marquee is in one scene where the guys are meeting to discuss how they are going to haze the incoming high school freshman. The name of the theater is visible in the corresponding deleted scene in the “Special Features” section of the “Flashback Edition” DVD.

pablo el sueco’s comment of Dec 21, 2005, is correct. The year after the theater opened, Boxoffice Magazine published an article about the Americana in its issue of May 16, 1966. It named Trans-Texas Theatres as the operating company, Earl Podolnick as the President of the company, and Joe Charles Dyer as the manager of the theater.

It also mentions that the theater’s decoration was designed by Earl Podolnick himself, and said that the architect of the house was William B. Saunders, of Austin. The seating capacity of the Americana was given as 783. The cost of the theater was $360,000.

The Texas premiere for “The Great Waldo Pepper” took place on Thursday March 13, 1975 at the Americana Theatre (Austin, TX) with former First Lady Ladybird Johnson and actress Susan Sarandon in attendance. At the Americana, attendees arrived in period cars & costumes. The film’s (first) premiere was at the Rivoli Theatre in New York, NY the previous night.

I waited with my parents in a line around the building to see the Empire Strikes Back on opening night! That theater holds some fond memories for me, including seeing “The treasure of the Four Crowns”, my first movie in 3D.